Apparatus for renovating skis

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for renovating the grooved soles of skis, comprises a holder for the ski with the sole of the ski up and exposed and a slideway guiding a carriage for movement parallel to and above the ski. The carriage has two relatively vertically movable supports, the forward support mounting a first roller and a hot air blower, the second or rear support mounting a second roller which is contoured like ski sole and spring-urged downwardly and a roll for a strip of plastic material. As the carriage moves along the ski sole, the blower heats the region of application of the strip to the sole and the strip of plastic is trained about the forward roll and under the contoured roll, which apply the new strip to the heated ski to bond them together. The contoured roll has a medial rib of rubber to press the new strip into the medial groove along the ski sole.

A z- 1974 G. R. RUBAUD APPARATUS FOR RENOVATING SKIS Filed larch 7, 1972 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 8- 27, 1974 G. R. RUBAUD 3,832,262

.QPPARATUS FOR RENOVAT ING S K I 5 Filed larch '7. 1972 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent Olfice 3,832,262 Patented Aug. 27, 1974 U.S. Cl. 156-468 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Apparatus for renovating the grooved soles of skis, comprises a holder for the ski with the sole of the ski up and exposed and a slideway guiding a carriage for movement parallel to and above the ski. The carriage has two relatively vertically movable supports, the forward support mounting a first roller and a hot air blower, the second or rear support mounting a second roller which is contoured like ski sole and spring-urged downwardly and a roll for a strip of plastic material. As the carriage moves along the ski sole, the blower heats the region of application of the strip to the sole and the strip of plastic is trained about the forward roll and under the contoured roll, which apply the new strip to the heated ski to bond them together. The contoured roll has a medial rib of rubber to press the new strip into the medial groove along the ski sole.

Skis wear away in proportion to their use, this wearing away comprising a reduction in the grooving and even more rapidly wearing away of the sole of the ski. I'f nOthing can be done to remedy the loss of grooving, it is on the other hand possible to renovate the sole by sanding, or by restoring it with plastic material in the regions where it has become scored or worn off, or even by replacing it entirely.

The first method is the simplest; however, it cannot be repeated many times because each time it results in a reduction of the thickness of the sole.

As to the second method, which is followed at least by a local sanding, this should be considered more a stop gap measure than a true renovation of the sole.

It is only the third method, that is the bodily replacement of the sole, which results in a ski having the sliding characteristics of a new ski; however, it must be borne in mind that changing the ski sole is a relatively ditficult and delicate operation, which is feasible only for high quality skis.

There is however an exception to the rule that the sole of a ski cannot be economically renovated, and it is on this exception that the present invention is based, which permits the application of an intimate film of plastic on the worn sole of the ski.

To this end, it is an object of the present invention to provide apparatus comprising a frame to hold the ski with the sole up and exposed, a slideway to receive a carriage having means to apply a film of plastic material to the ski sole, the applicator means comprising means to heat the ski sole to soften it and pressure means for intimately applying a said film to cover the sole over its entire area with the film remaining bonded to the sole after hardening thereby to constitute a new sole.

The accompanying drawings show schematically and by way of example the form of embodiment of a machine for renovating skis according to the invention.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view.

FIG. 2 is a central cross-sectional view on an enlarged scale.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are detailed views along the section lines 3-3 and 44 of FIG. 2 of rollers that smooth the film onto the ski.

In the particular embodiment illustrated, the carriage is guided by a single slideway disposed parallel to and above the ski and supporting on the one hand a hot air blower and a cylindrical pressure roller extending over the entire width of the ski, and on the other hand a second pressure roller having a profile complementary to that of the sole to complete the application of the film of plastic material to the sole of the ski, particularly in its central groove.

This complementary profile may be achieved by a central peripheral rib of rubber or other elastically displaceable material.

When the carriage that positions the new film is accurately guided and the application pressure is constant and the speed of travel is uniform, the operation of renovating the sole proceeds under ideal conditions.

The apparatus 2 comprises essentially a frame 3 with holders 4 and 5 for a ski 6, a slideway 7, a carriage 8 and automatic drive means 9. Carriage 8 is comprised by a slide 11, two movable supports 12 and 13, two pressure rollers Hand 15, heating means comprised by a blower 16 and the support for a roll 17 of a new strip 18.

Carriage 8 compises a frame 19 supporting the horizontal slideway 7 and the holders 4 and 5 for the ski 6 located below the slideway 7 and parallel to the same, the sole 21 of the ski 6 being turned towards slideway 7.

The carriage 8 is guidedly suspended by the slide 11 from the slideway 7. The advance of carriage 8 is effected either manually by means of handle 10 or by automatic drive mechanism 9. Mechanism 9 is comprised by a motor 22 which drives a toothed wheel 23 engaging a sprocket chain 24 which is tightenable by a pinion 25 and that extends full length of the path of carriage 8. Carriage 8 is connected to chain 24 by known means. A limit switch stops the automatic motor drive 9 when carriage 8 reaches the end of its slideway 7.

Carriage 8 comprises a slide 1 1 on which are mounted two supports 12 and 13 movable along straight lines relative to each other and relative to the support of roll 17 of new strip 18.

Tht first support 12 has a pressure roller 14 and a blower 16, which comprises a conventional heater for blowing hot air downwardly to the left as seen in FIG. 2. The pressure of roller 14 on ski 6 is due to the weight of the combined members 14 and 16 and their support 12. The second support 13 has a stirrup 26 which supports a roller 15. The latter comprises a central rib 27 of a flexible material such as rubber, which forces the strip 18 into the bottom of the medial groove 28 of the ski 6. The force with which roller 15 presses is due to a compression spring 29 whose force is adjustable.

Strip 18 may be of any of the usual plastic materials for application to ski soles, reinforced or not with a reinforcing material such as glass fibers, of thermosetting or thermoplastic nature such as epoxide resin, polyester resin, polyamide resin, polytetrafiuoroethylene, etc. and may be self-bonding when applied hot to the surface to be repaired or coated with a thermoplastic adhesive that is rendered tacky by blower 16.

When carriage 8 advances, strip 18 unrolls from roll 17 and passes through stirrup 26 and entrains roller 14 which laminates it to sole 21. Then the strip 18 passes under roller 15 which serves to complete its application in the groove 28 of ski 6. Sole 21 having previously been softened by hot air blown from blower 16, the strip 18 bonds intimately to sole 21 to comprise the new ski sole.

Such an apparatus can conveniently comprise a por- 3 tion of an entire machine for renovating skis, as seen in FIG. 1. It comprises the support 3 divided in three regions: region I, for apparatus 2 to apply new strips 18, described above; zone II, for a sander 31 for ski sole and zone III, for an edge sharpener 32.

All these devices are mounted on the same support 3 and are independent of each other and are comprised by carriages riding on slideways and actuated by the same means as the apparatusz for applying new strips 18."

It will be understood that the invention is not limited to the single embodiment of the apparatus described above by way of example; instead, it includes all variants thereof; thus for example, blower 16 and its hot air generator may be replaced by an infra-red lamp.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for renovating grooved ski soles by applying thereto a strip of plastic material, comprising means for holding a ski with its sole up and exposed, a slideway above and parallel to the length of the-ski, a carriage slidable along the slideway, a holder on the carriage for a supply of plastic strip, a pair of rollers on the carriage one of which initially applies the strip to the ski sole and the other of which completes the application of the strip to the ski sole, said other roller having a single medial rib that presses the strip into a medial groove along the sole of the ski, said rib of said other roll extending lower than said one roll.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, said one roll contacting only the surface of the ski which is uppermost when the ski is held by said holding means with its sole up and exposed.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, said medial rib being of elastic displaceable material.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, and a heater carried by the carriage for heating the region in which the strip first contacts the ski.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4, and means for applying the weight of the heater to said one roll to press said one roller downwardly.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4, said heater being an infra-red heater.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,577,297 5/1971 Howard 156-26S 2,372,737 4/1945 Phillips, Jr. 156--497 X 2,422,676 6/1947 Haman et al l56582 X 3,234,066 2/ 1966 Mul Holland 156--582 X 2,673,168 3/1'9'54 P'ascoe et al. l56582 X 'DOUGLAS J. DRUMMOND, Primary Examiner M. G. WITYS'HYN, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. XJR. 

